Job (Program #4) – Job’s Cursing of His Birthday

In Job chapter 3, Job cursed the day of his birth. He was a good man and he was trying to keep his perfection, uprightness and integrity. But due to his vexation he could not contain himself and he didn’t know what to do. Job’s suffering was so intense and most of the book of Job is a debate about why God would allow such a good person to suffer so much. And this debate continues today. At the end of chapter 2, Job painfully sat in silence for seven days and nights. And then in chapter 3 Job broke the silence and initiated the debate, which is most of the book of Job, by cursing the day of his birth because of his suffering of this very great pain.

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James (Program #6) – Practical Virtues of Christian Perfection (6)

One of the basic tenets of the Christian faith is the unequivocal belief that every word of the Bible is inspired by God. This essential truth comes from 2 Timothy 3:16, which literally says, “All scripture is God breathed“. Practically speaking what does this mean? Does it really mean that each word is God’s direct speaking? Well if that were the case, then we’d have to conclude that God was really speaking through Satan when Genesis quotes the serpent tempting Eve. Or how about Peter’s word in Matthew 16, which provoked the Lord Jesus to say to Peter, “get behind me Satan”. Surely every word is not God’s direct speaking, but every word is included in the canon of the biblical text according to God’s inspiration. And this inspiration is always linked to God’s purpose. If the Bible includes a passage it is there because God has desired it to be there, and there is a definite reason for it.

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James (Program #2) – Practical Virtues of Christian Perfection (2)

Perhaps the most important contribution that the Epistle of James makes to the New Testament is in the area of practical Christian perfection. Some people may not understand the usage of the word “perfection” in this context. James actually uses it in verse 4 of chapter 1. Let me read beginning at verse 2 to give it its proper context, “Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you fall into various trials, knowing that the proving of your faith works out endurance. And let endurance have its perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.” What is it to let endurance have its perfect work that we may be perfect?

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